Redemption
by Khaotic KrystalFire5
Summary: A new threat to Olympus rises more powerful than ever and once again, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Percy Jackson, being arguably the most powerful demigod to ever live, has been kidnapped and no one knows where to find him. Can Olympus stand up to and prevail over this new threat, or will the world be plunged into a living tartarus where darkness reigns. After HoO.
1. Chapter 1

**My first ever fic. Yippee! It only took me forever to get off my ass and get this done. Make sure to review and all that good stuff. I apologize for grammatical mistakes etc. You guys know the drill. Without further ado:**

Hello, my name is Perseus Jackson, but my friends just call me Percy. I am what you call a demigod, half mortal and half immortal. Most would say that being immortal is a blessing, although, I would have to beg to differ. Living longer than your family and friends, constantly grieving over your losses is not that much fun. Anyway, here I am sitting next to the most powerful beings in any existence, wondering where it was that I went wrong. How did I end up on a planet light years away from earth? Why am I sitting here on a couch, watching my family and friends fight for their lives, when I could be helping them? That is a question that even I don't yet have the answer too. Although, I am pretty sure that I'll know soon enough…

**Somewhere Unknown**

"It is time mother" a raspy voice reached out into the darkness of the pit. "The boy is still unsuspecting of our spy".

"Good, you know your orders. Carry them out quickly, accurately and successfully. I want no evidence of our involvement" The new voice was a little higher pitched, but just as cold and steely as the latter.

"As you wish mother". The first voice responded, the sound of the owners fleeting footsteps echoing throughout the pit.

"Soon young hero, you will meet your painful demise. MHUAHAHAHAHA!"(Sorry, couldn't resist the evil laugh).

**24 Hours Later (Percy POV)**

Hack, slash, dodge, staband repeat. This is what was running through my mind at the moment. My opponent made a half-hearted attempt to slash at my face with her celestial bronze dagger. I made to deflect it, but, was too late when she suddenly switched directions and bashed the hilt of her knife against my wrist, effectively disarming riptide from my hand. I tried to jump back and create some space only to find the familiar feeling of cold steel (Or is it celestial bronze?) against my neck.

"Yield" Piper stated firmly. I could've sworn I heard charm speak in her voice, but it didn't matter. No matter what I did, I was beaten.

"Looks like you win again Pipes" I sighed.

"Of course I did, would you expect anything different from the almighty Piper McLean!? Just kidding I don't have that much of an ego, unlike a certain daughter of Ares".

"Hehe, best 3 out 5? Loser has to do the winners chores for a week!" As she slowly, removed her knife from my neck I reached for riptide, ready for yet another rematch.

"Deal, I could use some down time anyway". Ten minutes later, there I was with riptide in the sand and a dagger at my throat. She was seriously getting better at fighting. Either that or I was getting worse. "I win again"

"Gods dammit Piper, I was looking forward to having a week with no duties". Piper simply stuck her tongue out at me. Gods she was cute when she did that.

"Come by my cabin after dinner to pick up my, sorry, your new cleaning schedule".

"Uuugh, Hades have mercy on my poor and tortured soul" I moaned. Little did I know, I would mean that later on today. Piper giggled before replying.

"Hey, the chores were your idea. I simply beat you in a fight" she replied. Although, I wasn't paying attention because all I could do was stare at Piper seeing that she was so stunningly beautiful. She had silky smooth, light brown hair that cascaded down slightly past her shoulders, perfectly tanned skin that came from her Cherokee decent, and an almost hourglass like figure. She also had long shapely legs that proved she was an athlete. Piper was more on the petite side, with almost zero percent negative body fat. If I had to describe Piper in two words, it would probably be smoking hot. Although, I would never tell her that, otherwise I wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Hey, Olympus to seaweed brain. You there Percy?"

"Wah, what? Oh yeah, I just got a little distracted is all, sorry".

"I can see that. There may be more kelp in your head than I thought physically possible. Well if you're done zoning out, I need to go take a shower. See ya later Percy". I watched Piper's retreating form as she walked off to the showers, disappearing from my view. Finally, I stood up, stretched my back, turned and headed towards the bleachers where my training bag was lying in wait. Although, I never quite got there, when I felt something blunt make contact with my head. My vision turned blurry, the last thing I saw before losing consciousness being a pair of winged sneakers and a blinding flash of light, and then everything went black.

**Third Person POV**

"Well that was easier than I expected. I would've thought that the almighty savior of Olympus was tougher than that" stated the mysterious figure.

"Don't get too full of yourself son of Hermes. You only snuck up on him, any fool with half a brain could do what you just did". The son of Hermes flinched upon hearing the gruff voice, obviously not expecting anyone to be there. After passing the initial shock, the boy stiffened and bowed to the immense figure towering above him. At first glance, he would have passed for a Cyclops, but upon looking closer, you'd realize that the figure was actually humanoid in shape and features. With not one, but two blank eyes, a giant head covered in greasy and unruly grey hair. Under the head came a thick bull like neck followed by a tall yet stocky build of a midsection. Giant heavy arms connected to a pair of meaty hands the size of three bowling balls combined. Once past the torso (and the very revealing loincloth) you couldn't help, but notice the thick scaly legs that looked powerful enough to make most cars seem like motor-powered soccer balls. The massive being that accompanied the presence of our unconscious hero and the son of Hermes was none other than the Titan Atlas. "Nevertheless, you've succeeded in your mission. Congratulations Travis Stoll, you have done well". Hearing this statement nearly caused the boy to fall back in surprise. He never expected such praise from anyone other than his brother, especially not from a Titan Lord.

"Th-thank you sir" he replied, eyes still wide and jaw still hanging.

"You might want to shut your mouth; otherwise I'll shut it for you". This snapped Travis out of his stupor immediately.

"What is our next move sir? With Percy Jackson currently out of the picture, the camp will be distracted as they send out search parties for the boy. I suggest that as soon as my brother reports the camps defenses, we send out two parties, one to draw the campers out past the borders and the other to flank around the unprotected demigods, attacking them from the rear".

"Well, well, well. Who would've thought that a son of Hermes could devise such a worthy strategy? Your father would be proud were you not plotting against him". Said son of Hermes spun around on his heels, coming face to face with the person he kidnapped no more than ten minutes ago.

"Hello Percy, sorry about the whole knocking you out and kidnapping you thing, it's nothing personal to be honest".

"You plan on killing everyone in Camp Half-Blood, my friends and family. That makes it personal!"As he said this, Anaklusmos was freed from its pen form and aimed at the throat of Travis Stoll. "Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't kill you right now!"

"Is the Titan that you failed to notice sneaking up behind a good enough reason" Travis replied with a smirk. Sure enough, as soon as the words left Travis' lips, Percy's sword was ripped from his grasp and thrown across the room. Percy was now facing a Titan along with a conniving Son of Hermes weaponless. To say he was screwed would probably be the understatement of the century; then again he's survived through worst, right? Right?

"Mother did have plans to keep you alive, but I'm getting kind of hungry. I could definitely go for a powerful son of Poseidon right about now". Percy didn't know whether to feel flattered or afraid after that comment, but his confusion didn't last long when Travis suddenly lunged forward with a knife in his hand. Where it came from was a mystery, but there were more pressing matters to worry about, as in said knife flying towards his face at an alarming rate. At the last second, Percy ducked the blade only to be met by the force of three trains colliding with his stomach, sending Percy barreling back into the marble wall thirty feet away. Upon impact, multiple cracks sounded from what appeared to be Percy's ribcage. Percy shook the cloudiness from his head and looked up to catch a glance of the meaty fist that connected with his jaw, causing said demigod to immediately go unconscious for the second time in twenty minutes. Travis merely watched as Atlas approached Percy, licking his lips in anticipation. The Titan lifted the boy effortlessly up to his face, baring his teeth. Although, at the last second, a flash of light one million times brighter than Hyperion's energy blast (Travis new from experience what Hyperion's energy blast looked like) engulfed the unconscious demigod and temporarily blinded both parties in the room. When the light faded, the only evidence of anything having ever been standing there was the lonely loincloth powdered in golden dust sprawled on the floor. Travis was completely frozen in shock as he stared at where his master and newly renowned friend had been just seconds ago.

**Piper POV**

After my training session with Percy, I headed off to the showers to freshen up before dinner. As soon as I finished drying my hair, I heard a conch shell echo throughout the camp. "Just in time" I said to no one in particular. I exited the showers, and walked over to the dining pavilion. Upon entry, I saw all of my friends and cabin mates chatting and laughing with each other, all except one. I glanced over at the Poseidon table and saw it empty. I quickly scanned the room hoping to see him somewhere, but to no avail. "He probably fell asleep again, the kelp brain". I sat down at the Aphrodite table and was immediately barraged by 'hello's and 'how are you's. Of all the people in the Aphrodite cabin, Drew was probably my favorite. She was a kind and sweet girl who didn't act slutty like the rest of the cabin, with the exception of me of course. "Hey Drew, what's going on?"

"Eh, not much. Just the usual dealing with guys who drool when they see us."

"I know right, who would've known that getting so much attention would've been so annoying? Seriously, if one more guy pisses himself while trying to ask me out I'm going to swear off men and join the hunters."

"Haha, I know how you feel sis, I know how you feel. Although, is that the only reason you turn them down?" She asked whilst winking suggestively. I immediately started to blush and barely managed to squeak out a maybe. "Haha, I've never seen you so flustered over some guy."

"He's not just some guy" I nearly yelled back.

"Okay okay, no need to get so defensive, jeez."

"I'm sorry, it's just that I really like him. Like really, really like him. He's so just modest and brave, and handsome. And his eyes…Oh my gods they're the most gorgeous eyes I've ever witnessed. I could get lost in his eyes forever." I glanced over at Drew to see her grinning like a madman at me. "What? I there something on my face?"

"No, but there seems to be something in your heart that is screaming for a certain male demigod to come and sweep you off your feet."

"Oh, but he already has" I replied dreamily.

"Ha, are you gonna tell me his name at some point or are you gonna leave me hanging?"

"Sorry, his name is P-" was all I managed to get out before I was interrupted by a booming voice.

"Heroes! Tomorrow is our weekly game of capture the flag!" Chiron yelled. Cheers went up from all around the pavilion. "Although, this week is going to be a little different". Everyone quieted down after that, bristling with anticipation to hear what Chiron was going to say."This week, all the Olympians including Hades and Hestia are going to be attending and watching the game from the sidelines". Everyone grew excited at that, thinking of ways to make their parents and leaders proud. "Of course, since Artermis is attending, so will her hunters. Although, we are allowing five of the camps strongest demigods to participate in a handicapped match with the hunters". Everyone grew confused at that since they didn't understand how it was handicapped. Chiron smirked, waiting for the campers to quiet down. "One other thing, the roman demigods of Camp Jupiter will be participating on the side of the majority of Camp Half-blood" Chiron finished. At this, the pavilion erupted into a deafening roar of approval. I cheered as well, excited at the chance to see my best friend Annabeth Chase from Camp Jupiter. Finally, Chiron dismissed us and we all headed to our respective cabins, everyone but me. I knew that Percy had missed the entire speech so I headed over to his cabin, expecting to see him sleeping on the floor. Although, he wasn't there, so I checked the next best spot; the beach. When I finally reached the surf, I still couldn't find any sign of Percy.

"Percy!" I whisper yelled. No answer. "Percy!" I tried again, a little louder this time. Then I remembered I told him to meet me at my cabin. I quickly ran to my cabin, starting to grow more worried with every second that passed. I burst into my cabin, startling a few of my siblings and asked if they had seen Percy. They shook their heads, so I sprinted to the big house in hopes of finding Chiron. He would know what to do, he always did. Eventually, I reached the big house completely out of breath to see Chiron in his centaur pj's preparing to sleep. "Chiron, have you seen Percy? I can't find him anywhere! I think he has gone missing."

"Piper dear, slow down and tell me what is the matter" he replied. I took a deep breath and repeated what I said a little bit slower.

"I can't find Percy anywhere. He didn't show up at dinner, and he wasn't in his cabin or at the beach. I don't think anyone has seen him since I finished training with him" I said more calmly this time.

"Hmm… That is strange, are you sure you haven't seen him since this evening?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay, if he doesn't show in the morning, we'll send out a search party".

"Thank you, Chiron. I hope he shows up soon. He still has to do my chores" I grinned at that.

"He has to do what now?" Chiron asked quizzically.

"Huh, oh nothing. I didn't say anything. Goodnight!" I quickly replied and ran outside. After that close call, my mind immediately drifted back to the one boy I truly loved. Even though Chiron was a trustworthy mentor, I still couldn't help but feel like Percy was in danger. That boy always did have a way of finding trouble. Sighing, I returned to my cabin where I quickly drifted into sleep. I would tell you it was a peaceful nap, but that would be a dead lie. I found myself surrounded by pink. And I mean surrounded. There were pink walls, floors, furniture, there was even a pink flat screen TV. I swear the color was giving me some type of vertigo. Although, I was pulled out of my musings by someone clearing their throat behind me, and I was shocked to find my mother looking at with sad smile.

"Hello honey. I know that you're probably confused as to why you are here, but please try not to interrupt me. I don't have much time, okay" Aphrodite stated. Her voice was unsteady and facial expression showed one of worry.

"Uhh, yeah sure, I guess"

"Thank you. As you already seem to know, Percy is missing an-''

"He's what?! What happened to him? Is he safe?"

"Piper, I asked you not to interrupt me. Now please be patient" Aphrodite scolded with a slight glare at her daughter.

"Sorry mom" I muttered.

"It's okay, as I was saying, Percy has been taken. No one knows who took him or where he is, but you must not look for him. Do you understand?" I was in utter shock, my mom tells me the man I love is missing and she expects me to do nothing?

"What, why would I do that? What did Percy ever do to you" I screamed at my mother.

"Piper, you must understand what I'm telling you. There have been reports of monsters organizing themselves, and Athena believes that they plan to attack while the camp is searching for Percy. They will be in disarray and an easy target for attack. "

"But who could possibly be leading the monsters. I thought that we would finally have peace after Gaea was put back into her slumber?" At this Aphrodite stiffened and she seemed to be contemplating how to answer my question. Finally, she sighed and looked me in the eyes before answering,

"Piper, the gods have been hiding something for quite a while. There is –"at this she hesitated.

"Yes mom, what's happening?" She looks at me again in fear, and I feel a brooding feeling enter my mind. Whatever can scare the usually giddy love goddess this much, is probably something I don't want to meet.

"The Primordial gods and goddesses are rising Piper. The original deities of the universe, the sons and daughters of Lord Khaos himself are planning to overtake the earth." My breath hitched in my throat as I let that reality sink in. The most powerful deities in existence are planning to destroy humanity? A genuine fear entered my heart when I realized what this probably meant for Percy and who his captors are. I glanced up at my mother and asked her the one question that I didn't want to know the answer to.

"Wa-was Percy t-t-taken by the Primordials?" I whispered while barely choking back a sob. Aphrodite stared down at me sadly and almost imperceptibly nodded her head. That was when I broke down. I slid to my knees, my head in my hands, and cried. I barely acknowledged the slender hands that gently pulled me into a motherly embrace. I don't know how long I sat there in my mother's embrace, but I soon was pulled out my dream when I felt a pair of hands shaking me awake.

"Piper. Piper! Are you okay?"

"Mnhhh, hnnmmnn" came my mumbled reply. "What's happening" I finally managed to say without slurring my words.

"You were writhing in your sleep and kept yelling Percy's name. You were yelling for him to come back or something", came Drew's response. I finally seemed to notice what was going on. The entire Aphrodite cabin was looking down at me nervously, Chiron was standing in the background curiously glancing in my direction, and Drew was standing over me worriedly. "Is everything alright Pipes?"

"Yeah, everything is fine" I lied. "Just a bad demigod dream is all". I shot Chiron a glance, trying to tell him I needed to speak with him as soon as possible. He seemed to understand as he nodded in my direction before asking everyone to go to the dining pavilion for breakfast. Drew shot me another worried glance before filing out with the rest of the cabin. When everyone finally left to the pavilion, Chiron cantered over and kneeled in front of my bunk. He looked at expectantly until I took a deep breath and shakily recited everything my mother had told me. I'll tell you one thing; Chiron is a very good listener. When I finished summing up my talk with Aphrodite, I looked up to see his face three shades whiter and scrunched up in fear. He seemed to be contemplating how to write his own obituary. Finally, he looked up at me for a few seconds before speaking,

"You must keep this information to yourself Piper. If anyone finds out about this, there will be hysteria. Not to mention, there could be spies in our camp. Is that understood?" I nodded. "Good, I am going to make a visit to Olympus in order to discuss this matter with the council. If anyone asks about my leaving, tell them I'm delivering a message to the party ponies."

"No problem Chiron", came my whispered reply. He noticed my glum expression and cupped my face in his hand, forcing me to look him in the eye.

"We'll get him back Piper, there is nothing to worry about. Percy is known for getting himself out of sticky situations, we just need to have some faith in him.

"How can you be so sure that he's okay", I asked teary eyed.

"Piper, I have been training heroes for centuries, but never have I had a pupil so strong-willed and loyal. Percy is arguably the strongest demigod to have ever lived and I know that he'll be okay. Percy will come back to us not for his family and not for camp. No, he is going to come back for the one girl that keeps him grounded to this world and brings him true happiness. He is coming back for you, Piper Mclean".

**And scene. I feel like this is completely and utterly terrible, but then again I believe that someone should never critique their own work. And that's where you swoop in and save the day with your super-powered reviews! Anyway, pls be completely honest in telling me how shitty my writing is, and keep on keeping on.**

**~Khaos**


	2. Introductions

**A/n: I completely forgot to mention this last chapter, but for this AU fic, I switched all of Annabeth and Piper's storylines and made minor changes to them. Annabeth is and always has been at Camp Jupiter, while Piper is and always has been at Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth and Jason are together (sorry Reyna) while Piper and Percy are NOT together… Yet. So Percy and Piper did not kiss at all. For the Mark of Athena, well, let's just leave that one as a blurry spot, yes? Also, I will change the personalities and skill sets of MANY characters, like Drew, so don't be surprised. Anyways, Chpt 2!**

**Ω**

**Percy POV**

Pain. That's the only thing I was capable of registering. Nothing, but searing pain that turned my limbs into noodles and overloaded my central nervous system. I could see nothing but black, although I'm not sure if my eyes are opened or closed. My ears are ringing and I can hear the blood roaring in them, temporarily - I hope - deafening me. My ribs are aching from the blow Atlas dealt me an-. "Wait,what happened," I think to myself. The last thing I remember was almost getting eaten by Atlas and then a blinding light that nearly fried me. "Where is Atlas? I'm pretty sure I'm not dead if I'm in this much gods damn pain."

Slowly, I forced my brain to start functioning in tune with my body, slowly wiggling each of my fingers first, then toes, followed by the rest of my body. When my brain finally understood what I was attempting to accomplish, I cautiously opened my eyes and peered around. The first thing I noticed was that everything and I mean everything was a pure white color. The room I'm in appears to be an infirmary lined with white cabinets that hovered - yes hovered in mid-air – over clean beds with white sheets. Slowly, I gathered enough strength to push myself into a sitting position, gasping in pain as I did so. I almost threw up when I reached the climax of my sitting position, the room started spinning as my vision darkened for a few seconds. When the dizzy spell that overcame me finally wore off, I was met with a sight I wasn't looking forward too. My entire torso from the base of my neck to the beginning of my waist was wrapped in white gauze that was stained red from my blood. I continued staring in shock at my bandages until a gruff voice pulled me out of stupor.

"You had a couple broken ribs and a punctured lung, causing a lot of internal bleeding. We had to make some minor incisions which led to your bloody bandages. I'll change them in another hour or so." Naturally, being the brave and seasoned warrior demigod I am, I jumped and yelped like a little girl when a rather tall and mysterious man appeared out of thin air with a clipboard in hand.

"Wh-who are y-you," I tried and miserably failed to reply with false courage. The man chuckled as he gazed down at my half-naked form, causing me to grow rather uncomfortable under his towering form (seriously how freaking tall is this guy?!).

"You have nothing to fear from me or my family young hero. We are simply here to help you, more than you know." I noticed that the man finished his sentence with a distasteful frown. "As for my height, well in this form I'm approximately 6'8. I stared at the man dumbfounded as I realized he read my mind, usually only the big three were powerful enough to get past my mental barriers. Finally, I stopped gaping when his words finally sunk in.

"What do you mean by 'we'? Who is your family and who are you for that matter? Why did you rescue me from Atlas?" The words poured from my mouth as more and more questions popped into my mind.

"Relax Perseus, I promise to explain everything once I introduce you to the rest of my family. Here, drink this water; it'll speed up the healing process." The man who still remained unknown snapped his fingers and a glass of water appeared in front of my face. I grabbed it and downed the glass with vigor, sighing in relief as I felt my internal injuries slowly but surely mend themselves. The man walked over to a door I swear wasn't there before and ushered for me to follow him. I decided to throw caution to the wind and I rushed after the man, wincing still with every step. As I stepped through the door, I was met with some of the greatest smells ever experienced and my mouth immediately started watering. In the middle of the grand room I had entered was a mahogany table big enough to seat eight guests with two seats at the heads of the table while three seats lined either side of it. My gaze immediately fell to the luscious looking foods that were displayed; there was a huge ham the size of myself smack dab in the middle of the table ringed with pineapples and cherries. On a separate plate adjacent to the ham was a huge bowl full of different greens such as lettuce and cabbage, there were also carrots and beets and everything was tossed around with what looked to be French dressing lightly drizzled over it. Flanking the other side of the ham were multiple bowls of gravy and cranberry sauce followed by another bowl filled with Spanish rice. Finally, at the end of each side of the table was a platter of crab cakes elegantly displayed with mint leaves poking out of each cake, similar to the look of those feathered hats I always see on T.V. The man who led me into the room cleared his throat, catching my attention for the first time since I entered the room and gesture for me to take a seat. Only then did I notice the other six beings in the room all staring at me with slight smirks adorning each of their faces. Suddenly, I was nearly blasted back by the sheer aura that all the beings in the room emitted. The power I felt rolling off the seven deities made the Olympians look like playground bullies in comparison. My battle senses finally decided to kick in and in the blink of an eye I had Riptide held defensively in front of me as my whole body tensed up, preparing for any kind of attack. Although, one never came, unless you consider a chorus of laughter pointed in my direction a threat. My grip on Riptide wavered slightly as I looked upon all the amused faces that looked back at me expectantly.

"Who are all of you and what am I doing here," I growled to no one in particular. In response, a beautiful woman that sat at the front of the table stood up to approach me. She was utterly breath-taking and my grip on Riptide faltered even more. She was about 5'8 and had silky brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her face had a natural beauty about it and her form was similar to that of some models that didn't starve themselves in order to look good. Although, what intrigued me the most were her eyes. They resembled a plethora of swirling galaxies and stars that seemed to pull you in the longer you looked. Her eyes radiated a power that seemed so ancient and mysterious I felt like I wanted to crawl into a fetal position and hide, while simultaneously gazing into them for all of eternity. Those eyes seemed to hold a never-ending knowledge and understanding of seemingly everything in existence. I was pulled out of the spell I underwent when said woman placed a hand on my shoulder and began to speak;

"Perseus, you are here because we brought you here. As to where here is, that is a more difficult question than you know. For now, please take a seat as we explain exactly what's going on. I swear on the river Styx no one here will attack you under any circumstance." As she finished her sentence she glared pointedly at a man with a dark aura and blood red eyes. The man scoffed playfully at what the glare implied. I began to warily move towards my seat when I realized I was still half-naked. Immediately my cheeks flushed in embarrassment and I barely stuttered out my next sentence.

"Umm, c-can I h-have some clothes t-to put o-on?"

"Amazing, your battlefield reflexes are near flawless, but the second you're not in combat your brain seems to shut off," the blood red-eyed guy muttered. I just continued to stare at my feet in great interest as he snapped his fingers and a pair of black denim jeans and a black t-shirt appeared on my body. I hurried to a vacant seat near the head of the table next to the lady who comforted me earlier.

"Now that I'm seated can I finally have some gods damn answers, please?"

"Of course, sorry about keeping you in the dark for so long," the man who led me in took a deep breath as if preparing for a long speech. I inwardly sighed as I figured my guess was most likely correct. "Perseus, you are no longer on planet Earth. We took you from Atlas and brought you somewhere you can never be found unless we willed you to be."

"YOU WHAT?! Why would you do that? You claim that I'm safe yet you've already hurt me!" Anger began bubbling up inside of me as I looked at everyone with hatred shining in my eyes.

"Perseus, you must not interrupt me again or I will take actions," the man warned, a dangerous glow began to form itself behind his eyes.

"Fine," I grumbled, but inwardly I was beginning to worry. These people seemed very powerful, and there were way more of them then there were of me.

"As I said, you are not on Earth. You are in the void. Where faded deities go for their final resting place, and where we reside in troubled times such as these." I could've sworn my mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but I just couldn't comprehend what I was told. I noticed a few people trying to hold back their snickering, causing me to glare at them. "Perseus, there is a war looming over your head once again, and it will make Gaea's attempt at control look like a schoolyard fight. My nephew and his wife are rising, and they plan to reign in a new era of darkness and destruction. The Olympians are nowhere near powerful enough to stop this threat, even with the combined efforts of your demigod camps." He paused in his explanation so I could soak that up I assume, and soak I did. Another war, worst than the last two combined, and once again I'd be in the middle of it. The peace that I fought so hard for, now gone again. I was hoping that I could live the rest of my life happily, or as happy as a demigod can get. I could've gone to college at Camp Jupiter, start a normal living with the girl I love, have kids to pass on to what I've learned in my years of life and leave the fate of the world for the next generation of demigods to tackle. Then my thoughts went to her, the girl that I was absolutely head over heels for. Piper McLean, the sexiest, smartest, and toughest girl I know. My best friend was probably at the dining pavilion, laughing with her friends, not even realizing that I was gone. Immediately my heart sunk, the thought of being forgotten too much to handle and tears began to leak from my eyes. I know what you're thinking, the oh so great Percy Jackson brought to tears at the mere mention of another war, but that's just it. No one truly likes war, those who experience it first-hand know what terrible things a war can bring, and as those things are ushered in, a piece of you is lost, broken, never to be mended. So here I am, crying in front of a bunch of powerful beings I don't even know. Because I don't think I have the mental capacity to participate in another war.

"Perseus," an alluring voice whispered out, pulling me from my inner turmoil. I looked up to the soft and surprisingly gentle looks of everyone present. They were all looking at me with sympathy in their eyes, as if they knew what I was thinking. Oh, right, they do. The woman next to me spoke up with a soft voice, "Perseus, we understand your misery. None of us wish for you to undergo yet another war, but you are the only one who is fit for the task. You have mastered your mind, body and spirit whether you know it or not. To say that you are the most powerful demigod to have ever lived would be undermining your accomplishments, and quite frankly I don't think there will be anyone like you for hundreds of millennia. You truly are one of a kind Perseus. Don't let anyone ever tell you differently."

I wiped a few tears from my eyes as I gazed gratefully at those mysterious and powerful orbs of beauty. "Thank you, Lady…"

"Khaos, Lady Khaos. Although, for you Perseus Jackson, it is simply Khaos." My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as I immediately dropped to a bow in front of the oldest deity to ever exist. Although, I was cut off halfway when a hand on my shoulder caused me to freeze in fear of offending Khaos. I slowly looked up to find Khaos smiling at me warmly, almost like a mother would smile at her child. "Do not bow to me Perseus, or anyone for that matter. You have earned the right to be considered an equal to even a Primordial goddess.

"I, uh, I apologize La-, Khaos." I sat back down in my chair, still in shock of my newest revelation. Then it dawned on me, if that is Khaos, then everyone else… "Holy shit," I muttered to myself. That earned me some more snickers and a few horrified looks from Khaos.

"Perseus, I will not allow such profanity to be used in my presence," Khaos said sternly. I groaned to myself as I realized how much Khaos was like my mother. Warm and gentle, but very cross and angry when the occasion arises.

"I apologize Khaos, but an idea of whose presence I'm in just dawned on me. Do you think we could get all the introductions done before we continue with why I am here?"

"Of course," replied the man who led me in. "I am Order, the brother of Khaos." My jaw nearly dropped to the ground at that. Two of the eldest Primordials were here, talking to me and offering help for the upcoming war. Not to mention all the other powerhouses in the room who were chuckling at my hanging jaw. I immediately snapped it shut when someone else spoke up, the dude with the blood-red eyes stood up, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He reminded me of a more intelligent and ancient Ares, only less angry and more relaxed. Okay scratch that, he is nothing like Ares.

"Good, I wouldn't want to be anything like that idiotic war god," he chuckled. "Anyways, I'm Tartarus, primordial god of the pit. It's nice to finally see the face of the man who sent so many souls to my pit and even escaped from it with a girl in tow" I let a small smile adorn my lips at his comment, before nodding in understanding of his identity. "What, I'm not worth you being surprised over," Tartarus said in mock hurt, a hand grasped over his chest.

"Oh shut up ya big baby," Came a voice to my left. I glanced at the speaker to see a man with sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes glaring playfully at Tartarus. Tartarus only smiled cheekily in return. I couldn't help but notice that for someone who personifies a place worse than hell, Tartarus was a very laidback guy. "I apologize for my immature uncle here, but I'm Aether, Lord of the upper air and weapon extraordinaire. It's good to see ya in person Perseus Lucian Jackson," Aether finished his thought with an award-winning smile in my direction, although I was still confused about something.

"How did you know my middle name? Only my mom and I knew about it." Aether let his smile grow a little wider before enlightening me on his knowledge of my full name.

"I am a Primordial god of the upper air, which means that from my palace atop the stars, I can see and hear anything and everything that goes on upon the earth and other planets in the galaxy. I make it my job especially to know just about everything about all the significant figures in history, which would include you, too young Perseus."

"Well you don't seem to know about-''

"How you prefer to be called Percy. Oh I know, but annoying people is just too fun." This time, Aether gave me a mischievous smile and a wink, before finally sitting down.

'You're like an all powerful Hermes, I swear," I muttered under my breath.

"I heard that!"

"I believe that is enough Aether. Other people would like to introduce themselves before they age another millennia. I apologize for Aether, as you can see, he enjoys using his knowledge to push people's buttons." I looked at the man who spoke, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. He had full head of light grey hair and dazzling blue eyes that seemed to spark to life with mirth. Although on the other hand, his eyes held an ancient knowledge and sadness that shone through his smile. He reminded me of Chiron, a person that holds much knowledge and has seen many years, but knows the price of an elongated life. To see so many heroes and family come and go, to suffer through so many hardships for what they believe in.

"It is quite alright Lord…" I racked my brain for an answer, trying to guess his identity was a lot harder than it seemed. "Are you Ouranous, original lord of and embodiment of the sky?" If his smile was anything to go by, I assumed I guessed right.

"Very good Percy, yes, I am Ouranous. Lord of the sky and former Lord of the Heavens." Ouranous, seemingly satisfied with his introduction, sat down with a smile still plastered on his face. Ouranous seemed like the kind of guy who could find happiness in the little things. He would have fun and joke around, but if the matter arises he would become deadly serious. I made a mental note to not get on his bad side. Or anyone's in this room for that matter. I was pulled out of my inner musings when a familiar and comforting feeling washed over me. The smell of the sea filled my nostrils, and I felt as if there was an ocean on the other side of the walls calling out to me. Immediately, my senses sharpened and my head snapped to a tall man with bluish tinted skin and light black hair. He had a muscular swimmer's build and he seemed to radiate the power of the ocean. I immediately knew his identity before he even got the chance to stand up out of his chair.

"Pontus, Lord of the seas" Pontus seemed surprised for a split-second before a large grin threatened to split his face.

"I am pleased to know that my presence alone can sharpen your senses. As you said, I am Pontus, Lord of the seas." With that, he sat back down. Pontus reminded me of my father, carefree and easygoing. As Pontus sat, I noticed that there was still one Primordial who had yet to introduce themselves. I could tell it was female from her figure, but other than that, I was completely in the dark. She was masking her aura, and wearing a hood that completely blocked her face from view. Everyone else in the room seemed to shift uncomfortably and look anywhere, but at me. Questioningly, I looked to Khaos who was gazing down at me with a pained look on her face. Before I could utter a word, she spoke.

"Perseus, you understand that people make mistakes correct, that no one being is perfect?"

"Of course I do Khaos."

"Well, some of us have made mistakes that are more extreme than others, and are incredibly regretful of our actions." At this, my mind started to race. A Primordial goddess was hiding her presence from me in shame of what she had done. I began listing off all the Primordial goddesses I knew of before my brain came to an abrupt stop. The one name I never wanted to hear again began echoing in my head over and over again like a mantra. The one goddess I absolutely hated with all of my being, was it possible that this was the very being sitting across the table from me?

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no, no, NO!" I jolted out of my chair and ripped the hood off of the being in front of me. I gasped and nearly fell over in shock. This couldn't be happening. The one goddess that nearly took everything I knew away from me was now sitting in front of me. Gaea, Primordial Goddess of the earth, looked up at me with pain filled eyes that began to flood with tears.

"Perseus, I can't even begin to imagine the pain I put you through," She whispered. Although, I was having none of it, I staggered back; visions and images of my friends who died in the war began flooding my mind. I saw Frank, a spear poking out of his chest before it was brutally ripped out, and dropping his body to the ground as the life left his eyes. I saw Connor Stoll, right before a giant slit his throat. Travis cradling the lifeless corpse of his brother in his arms, crying his heart and soul out. I watched as Dakota was cracked in the skull with a Cyclopes' club, flying into a mountain before he lay there unmoving. I gripped my hair and screamed as more images of the people I cared for being brutally killed plagued my mind. Finally, I snapped. I couldn't control my actions anymore; all I could see was red. And I had one target in mind; Gaea.

**Khaos POV**

To say I was shocked would be a gross understatement. Here was the usually calm son of Poseidon, in a completely rage induced state. His eyes were glowing with a power that rivaled the Olympians, and his body was covered in an almost blinding ethereal green light. The room began to shake - no – tremble as the son of Poseidon slowly stalked towards Gaea. I looked at my daughter and saw nothing, but regret and shame written all over her face. She slumped in her chair, looking as if she was ready to receive whatever she deserved from Percy. I turned my attention back to Percy, and was honestly in awe of the power he was radiating. His aura was terrifying and seemed to grow by the second. Somehow, The young man managed to conjure up a mini-hurricane as he know floated in the air, winds whipped back and forth, throwing food and eating utensils across the room, even the table itself was thrown across the room where it shattered against the wall. The earthquake seemed to grow more powerful as cracks appeared in the marble floor and the walls. The columns looked as if they'd give out any moment and soon the roof was going to come down on all of us. I looked into Percy's eyes and tried to enter his mind so I could get him to calm down, but I was met a terrible revelation. Percy wasn't in there. What was Percy's mind had been reduced to nothing but pure rage. I saw what he was thinking, and how he was wished to 'deal' with Gaea. It was not pretty. I looked to Pontus, worry evident in my eyes and he seemed to understand. Immediately Pontus began to wrestle control of the hurricane from Percy. The winds slowed slightly and Percy's altitude lowered slightly. However, that relief was short-lived when Pontus was suddenly launched across the room by an invisible force. He looked dazed and shaken up, but otherwise he was fine.

"I CAN'T TAKE CONTROL! HE'S TOO POWERFUL," yelled Pontus from across the room. Instantly I began to panic, not because Percy was rampaging through the hall, but because of what this meant in the future. If Percy didn't get his emotions reigned in before this war, Erebus and Nyx would easily take advantage and the war would be lost before it even began. I entered Order's mind and told him to put Percy down any way possible outside of injuring him. He grunted in response and immediately took action. His body began to glow, and all around him the brewing storm began to disperse. Percy slowing descended, the glow around his body and eyes fading with the storm. When his feet touched down, His body slumped forward and he would have collapsed to the ground had I not caught him in time. I slowly laid him down on the floor then stood back up. I glanced at Order in appreciation before turning to everyone else in the room. To see all the Primordials so miffed would've been comical had it not been for what had transpired seconds ago.

"We must help Percy to control his emotions. If he is to lose control like that without us there to stop him, the results would be disastrous. Erebus and Nyx would take advantage of this weakness and the war would be over before it even started. We cannot allow Percy to lose control again."

"Khaos," Pontus called. "I wasn't able to overpower him. That is not a good sign. If he has the ability to overpower a Primordial before his training even begins, then I'm afraid of what would happen should this occurrence repeat itself after his training."

"I agree Pontus, I looked into his mind, and what I found was unnerving. Percy wasn't there. It was as if a whole new being hell bent on nothing but destruction had taken over his body."

"I know what you are talking about," Order spoke up this time. "Percy is a wonderful person. Almost too wonderful. So in order for there to be balance, he was born with this curse. The curse is triggered by extreme emotions such as rage, as you saw. The curse is so that there can never be a perfect being. It would upset the balance of the galaxy and after that, even I don't know what would happen."

"Very well then, Order, would you please take Percy to his room. When he wakes, you may begin his training. This goes for all of you, incorporate emotional stress training into each of your schedules. It is vital he learns to control this curse, or earth as we know it may be lost."

"Yes Khaos," came the chorus of replies.

Ω

**And scene. Finally, it took me like five sittings to finally get this done. I just kept restarting until I finally got what I wanted. Well, you knoe what happens down here. Make sure to review, follow, favorite and all that Gucci stuff. Btw, the next following chapters on Percy's training are not my original ideas. I borrowed this plot idea from a little birdie named Zapperian. He gave me permission to borrow his plot and make changes wherever I see fit, so yeah. Check him out, his writing is simply phenomenal, but sadly he doesn't seem to update anymore. I wish he would, he was seriously a great writer. Anyways, just keep on keeping on.**

**~Khaos**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/n: As you may notice in the future, I'll have a rather erratic updating schedule. That's bc I don't have an updating schedule to begin with. Knowing myself, if I make a schedule, it will not be followed and I'll waste more time. So I will just play the updates by ear. I apologize if that inconveniences you, but this is what'll work best for me. Naturally, I'll **_**try**_** not to update at random, like a chap in two days, then thirteen days later I update again, then I put up another chap in five days etc. Although, I make no binding promises! Anyways, carry on to the story.**

** Ω**

**Third Person POV**

Camp Half-blood was a giant mess. Demigods and satyrs alike were running around like chickens with their heads cutoff, trying to keep some order while others were preparing for what lay ahead of them. It was truly an amusing sight to see, both Romans and Greeks were running around wildly, either mingling freely with each other or chasing down some prankster, though it was hard to tell through all of the pandemonium. The dining pavilion was bursting with demigods trying to get breakfast for the big day ahead of them and little scuffles between any and all types of demigods could be seen if you looked close enough. What could possibly cause so much ruckus you may ask? Well that's simple; today is the day where Romans, Greeks and the Hunters of Artemis/Diana have their very first three way! Now, now, I don't mean it that way you sick person you, I mean a three way capture the flag. And of course to top it all off, the gods of Olympus plus just about every known minor god or goddess has been invited to watch the spectacle. Now for most heroes that would be a giant confidence booster, but for those who still haven't even met their godly parent, it was nerve racking. The infirmary was filled to the brim with demigods who had a bunch of minor sicknesses due to stress and nerves. Although, it was nothing a little ambrosia, nectar and pep talk couldn't handle thanks to the ever so sprightly Apollo cabin. Anyways, in the mist of all of this craziness are six special demigods, let's see what they're up to, yes?

**Piper POV**

"Ugh, all this noise is giving me a major headache."

"Tell me about Annabeth," I replied. "It's like an all powerful circus of immature teenagers is running rampart through the camp. Oh wait, there is"

"I believe my cabin is soundproof, and it should be empty if you guys want to head over there till the game starts."

"Yeah, thanks Jason, that's a great idea. C'mon guys, to the Zeus cabin!"

**Minor Line Break**

"Oh my gods, this is sooo much better. I can actually hear my own thoughts," I sighed in relief. I looked around at our little band of misfits; I hadn't seen some of them since the last great prophecy two months ago. Leo had spent most of his time on Olympus with his father, completing tasks here and there and generally doing anything he could to help with the post war repairs. Frank and Hazel went back to Camp Jupiter and became the top two fighters in the legion save for Annabeth and Jason. Speaking of them, Jason took back his previous role of Praetor while Annabeth took the same role by his side. Under their combined tutelage, New Rome had begun its own kind of golden era. Everything was mostly peaceful, and the legion became three times the warriors they were before the war, and that's saying a lot. As for Reyna, when the war ended, she was offered a spot in the amazons alongside Kinzie, which she gratefully accepted, leaving the role of Praetor open for Annabeth to take. As I concluded my mental recap of everyone else's last two months, I couldn't help but grow sad at the vacant spot next to me. Only six of us were present, someone was missing, and to think about what said someone was possibly going through broke my heart a little. Percy Jackson, my best friend and the man who stole my heart when I first saw him, drooling in his sleep and muttering about his mother's supposed death. That was such a long time ago, it seemed like a lifetime. In six years, we had gone through countless quests and two major wars, a feat that no teenager should have to accomplish. Sadly, thus is the life of a demigod, dangerous and unlawful. Finally I was pulled out of my musings when Hazel called out my name.

"Piper, are you okay?"

"Huh, oh yeah, I'm just thinking about Percy. I really hope he's safe, wherever he is." Immediately, everyone's mood changed from upbeat to melancholy. How they know about Percy's disappearance, is because after the second Giant war, the gods decided to include the eight greatest heroes of Olympus (Nico included) in any and all important council meetings. We were kind of like honorary Olympians, even though none of us accepted immortality.

"It's okay Piper, I'll bet my bottom dollar that Percy will come back to us. He has a good habit of surviving anything thrown at him and beating the odds. He's probably doing everything in his power to get back to us, to get back to you." I wiped a lone tear from my eye and smiled gratefully at Hazel, she always knew exactly what to say to comfort people. Hazel was probably the nicest and most innocent person in existence. Immortal or not.

"Thanks hazel, you have no clue how much that means to me." She just smiled warmly in reply.

"Oh cheer up beauty queen, I'm pretty sure Percy's kicking Primordial ass right now. Doing that thing where his eyes turn a dark green, and he conjures up a personal hurricane like its nothing. Have I mentioned how badass that is cause like-?"

"Shut up repair boy," I cut him off with a smirk. Leo only pouted in return. Although, Jason seemed to be hurt by Leo's comment.

"Am I not badass enough for you Leo? I thought we were best friends, but I see how it is. Siding with Percy over your best bro…" Jason shook his head in mock hurt. Leo could only stutter on about how Jason was still his buddy and what knot, but Percy was simply cooler. That earned him a good sized slap upside the head from Annabeth.

"Jason is perfectly cool Leo, there's no need for you to be jealous." Leo glared at Annabeth, while Jason stared lovingly at her.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?"

"I could stand to hear it some more," Came Annabeth's witty reply. Jason was about to lean in when he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat from the doorway.

"Oh get a room you too," said the teen with a mischievous grin.

"Nico!" Hazel stood up and gave her brother a tight hug which he willingly reciprocated.

"Hey sis, how have ya been? What's up guys," he said as he turned his attention to everyone else in the room.

"Where have you been Nico? I haven't seen you in a month and father wouldn't tell where you were."

"Oh, I was just doing a quick errand for dad, nothing to worry about," Nico replied, but I noticed a nervous glint in his eyes. He was probably lying; I'll make a note to ask him about that later.

"So what brings you here Neeks?" I asked.

"I came to let you guys know that the games are about to start. The gods are beginning to arrive and pretty soon we're gonna start splitting up teams. You might want to hurry to the dining pavilion. See ya guys there." And with that, he shadow traveled out.

"Well, you guys ready to impress your parents," asked Frank as he stood up. A chorus of yeah's and okay's signified the end of their brief reunion as they headed towards the dining pavilion.

**Line Break**

"This is the last time I leave my earplugs in my cabin," I groaned to myself. The entirety of the greek and roman demigods plus the hunters of Artemis/Diana were gathered in the dining pavilion, waiting for Chiron to begin his speech. I was standing by the Aphrodite table - seeing as there was no more space to sit – making light conversation with Drew.

"I'm so excited for today's capture the flag, how about you Pipes?"

"WHAT?"

"I said, aren't you excited for today's capture the flag?!"

"Oh, yeah! I can't wait for everyone to clear out so we can start!"

So where's Percy, I haven't seen him in a few days?" Immediately my heart sunk, but I put on a brave face and replied;

"He's on some minor quest for his dad under the sea," I lied. It hurt to lie to my best girl friend, but it was necessary that his whereabouts were kept secret for as long as possible.

"I get the feeling that you're ly-."

"HEROES!" Chiron had finally appeared at the front of the pavilion.

"And not a moment too soon," I thought to myself. I gave Drew a shrug as she narrowed her eyes at me, but I pretended not to notice and turned to face my immortal trainer.

"Today is the day you've all been waiting for! The day you get do battle with your friends and your foes. Today is the day you prove your worth and make your family proud. Today is our very first three way capture the flag!" As if on cue, all the Olympians flashed into the pavilion and the campers burst into a deafening cheer. Just about everyone present, mortal or immortal, had smiles from ear to ear that threatened to split their faces. When the noise finally settled, Zeus stepped forward and cleared his throat;

"Hello demigods. I am Zeus, god of thunder and lightning-"

"Don't forget dramatics," Hermes interrupted and all of the Olympians started to snicker, save for Zeus of course. Zeus in turn glared at his son before continuing his speech.

"As I was saying," Zeus said with another pointed glare at Hermes. "Today all of you will be participating in what is probably the most exciting game of Capture the Flag ever. During this game, the teams will be as following: Team Black- Ares/Mars, Hades/Pluto, Apollo/Apollo (Apollo grinned at that), Aphrodite/Venus and Demeter/Ceres." Cheering went off as the Black team and I all gathered on one side of the pavilion, hefting the black flag over our heads in pride. "Now for the Red team," Zeus bellowed. "Athena/Minerva (Athena scowled at her name), Hermes/Mercury, Dionysus/Bacchus, Hecate/Trivia and myself Zeus/Jupiter." More whoops went up as the Red team made their way to the other side of the pavilion, hefting their flag over their heads. "And finally, the Silver team shall consist of Artemis/Diana, Hephaestus/Vulcan and all the remaining minor gods and goddesses!" The Silver team gave their own whoops and cheers as they grouped in the center of the pavilion, hefting their flag into the air. Zeus was about to dismiss everyone when a camper spoke up.

"Lord Zeus, What about Poseidon/Neptune? What about Percy?" A few other confused campers chimed in and soon three quarters of the pavilion were in uproar while the rest awkwardly looked at their feet.

"Yes, erm, brother would you care to explain this one," Zeus turned to Poseidon with an almost pleading look in his eyes. As amusing as it was to see Zeus so helpless amongst a bunch of demigods, He was still downcast about his favorite son.

"Of course brother. Demigods, as you can clearly see, Perseus is currently absent. The reason behind that is simple really, Percy has decided to visit his other family in Atlantis for a few weeks and get them to warm up to him. As you may know, Triton and my wife Amphitrite are not so accepting towards my demigod children, and Percy being Percy, wishes to change that." Most of the demigods seemed to accept his answer, but there was one who was suspicious about all of this. Piper looked to her left and saw Drew glaring at her accusingly before she began making her way over to me. I sighed inwardly and braced myself for the verbal lashing I was about to receive from Drew Tanaka. Although, right before she reached me, Zeus dismissed us with one hour to familiarize ourselves with our teams before the game begins. Using this to my advantage, I nearly sprinted out the pavilion and didn't stop until I reached the big house, deciding to wait for Chiron to show up. When he finally did, I basically jumped into his arms, tears already streaming from my eyes.

"What's wrong child," Chiron asked softly.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take Chiron. I can't stop worrying about Percy and now my best friend is suspicious of me. I'm basically avoiding her at this point and I don't know how much longer I can go without completely breaking down." By now I was sobbing into Chiron's midsection, considering he was like three feet taller than me in horse form.

"I know Piper, I know it's hard but you have to have faith. Take my word for it; just keep strong, if not for your own sake then for Percy's. He wouldn't want you to be like this. He'd want to see the strong and independent warrior that he knows you to be." I pried myself from his arms and stared into his soft brown eyes.

"Chiron, I don't know if anyone has told you this, but you're like a second father to us. All of us at Camp Half-Blood see you as some sort of father figure, me the most. I don't know what I would do if you weren't there for me every time I needed you. You are the kindest and most understanding immortal I know, right next to Hestia. I love you Chiron." I nuzzled myself back into his arms and just stayed there like that for gods knows how long. Eventually, Chiron pulled away and I noticed tears in his eyes.

"I love you too child," he whispered. I let a genuine smile grace my features before I gave him one last hug.

"Thank you so much Chiron, but I should head back to my team. They're probably looking for me and I've already missed fifteen minutes. With that, I exited the big house and walked towards the forest where my team was most likely located. I arrived just in time; they were beginning to discuss their plan of attack when I arrived. I silently slipped into the group next to Nico and Frank. Nico nodded at me while Frank smiled widely at me. He seemed ecstatic about today's event, probably eager to make his father proud of him. I focused in on what Clarisse was saying after returning Frank's smile with one of my own.

"-Nico and Piper defend the flag while Demeter can grow some spiked vines and poison Ivy and whatever else about ten-fifteen feet from the flag. Like a mini no man's land, can you guys manage that?"

"Ave!" And with that, the Demeter/Ceres kids filed out of the group and ran off to get to work.

"Okay Lee, I want your very best hand to hand fighter and Frank to follow me as we try to take their flag." Lee Fletcher and one of his sisters stepped forward as did Frank.

"Hey sis, I finally get to fight alongside you once again," Frank stated as he grasped forearms with Clarisse.

"You got it Clarisse". Lee saluted and then ran off with his sister to prepare for the battle.

"Now, I want half of Apollo and Aphrodite to watch our flank. If I run into trouble going for their flag, you guys come up and hit them head-on. The rest of Apollo, Aphrodite and Ares will charge straight up the middle. I want you guys to hit the hardest and the fastest. Kind of like a Blitzkrieg, got it?" A chorus of yes ma'am(s) rang out. "Remember guys, you are the biggest attack force, but your main job is to weaken the enemy's defenses. If you guys somehow manage to make it to a flag, wait. Do not take the flag unless you see a golden opportunity. We will attack whatever team is set up left of us first, is that understood?"

"Ave!"

"Okay guys, gear up. This is going to be fun." Suddenly, the voices of the twelve Olympians sounded in unison throughout the forest in unison.

"**Demigods! Today you will make your parents proud. In just a few minutes, you all will be at each other's throats, but first, the rules. In order to win, you must capture both of the opposing flags. To capture a flag successfully, you must bring it all the way back to your own flag, not the creek. Also, this is a sudden death tournament, in which, if you are incapacitated or surrender yourself, you are eliminated from the game. If your flag is captured, your entire team will be eliminated from the game. The game will continue until a team has captured two flags, or until only one team is left standing. With that said, LET THE GAME BEGIN!"**

As soon as those four words were spoken, the forest erupted into a series of war cries that echoed for miles. Then we charged.

**Percy POV** (_I'm a dick aren't I?_)

_Camp-Half Blood in shambles. Flames leaping from cabin to cabin as if it were an animate being. Shrieks of terror and fear filling my ears from all directions. Darkness crept up the hill, rising higher into the sky, before coming back down, swallowing the camp and sending a feeling of dread through the air. Everywhere I looked, it was pitch black, and standing in the middle of this catastrophe, was a figure roughly about 19 years of age, laughing heartily and staring in admiration as if proud of what he was witnessing. I slowly limped towards the figure; maybe I could be able to stop it. I tried to yell for it to stop, but my voice was lost in the winds battering the camp. I saw a wave the size of a cruise ship appear in the lake, and for a brief second I thought my father was coming to help. Although, to my horror, the wave kept its momentum even upon land and completely destroyed half of the barely standing cabins, their remains being washed away, back into the Long Island Sound. Then another wave formed twice the size of the last. This time, I prepared to use my willpower to stop it, but I came to a sickening realization when I could barely even slow it down, much less stop it. Whoever that figure was, it was more powerful than even the Olympians. That scared me, but what happened next sent a chill that traveled from the top of my spine all the way to my toes. The figure turned around and I immediately recognized the sea-green eyes that stared back at me, lips twisted into a cruel, sardonic grin. My heart stopped, as I gazed upon the 'thing' that stared back at me, refusing to believe that was me, I'd never do anything like this. Finally, our little staring contest ended, and 'it' turned its back on me, figuring I wasn't worth its time. The thing proceeded to shoot black flames from its fingers, before darkness engulfed the figure. 'It' reappeared atop the big house, raising 'its' arms towards the sky. In response, all the shadows around the hillside gathered above him, forming a perfect circle above camp, before 'it' laughed maniacally and promptly disappeared. Once his presence was gone, the darkness fell from the sky and I watched as it free fell in slow motion, before completely crushing the hillside and me._

I jolted out of my bed in a cold sweat and promptly fell on my face. I slowly stood up on shaky legs, trying to rid my nausea as I sat down on the foot of my bed. The sheets were drenched in sweat as was I. I looked around until I spotted a bathroom, before slowly making my way over and turning on the shower. I made sure it was freezing cold before stripping out of my boxers and hopped in. Allowing myself to get wet, I hissed as the freezing water touched my skin. I gathered my thoughts for a few minutes before I stepped out and willed myself dry. Throwing a towel around my waist, I stepped back into the bedroom to find Order standing there with a fresh outfit of clothing in hand.

"Good morning, Perseus. Did you sleep well?" Order placed the clothing on my bed before looking back up at me expectantly. I recalled the nightmare that plagued my dreams, before sighing and looking into Order's eyes.

"Not really, I had a demigod dream, but it's nothing I can't handle," I lied. I didn't want the people who sort of took me in to distrust me, thinking I was an enemy. No, I would tell them when I figured out what the dream meant.

"Very well, get dressed and meet me outside, today we begin your training and I fully explain the situation." With that, Order walked out. As I finished freshening up, I thought back to yesterday. How I ended up here, why I am here, who is here with me and-. Then I remembered 'her', that witch that almost took everything from me. I sighed, there was not much I could do about her, but just go with it. I really didn't have much choice either way and getting myself worked up over it is pointless. I tried to remember what else happened yesterday, but found I couldn't. I closed my eyes and focused, but all I could remember was a snapping sound, then it all goes dark. I relented and figured I'd just ask Order about it. I stepped out the door and was met with the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. There were luscious green meadows filled with thousands of multi-colored wildflowers, and every kind of tree known to man was spread out here and there. In the middle of everything was a crystal clear lake that sparkled in the sunlight. Different kinds of wildlife surrounded the lake, drinking from it, bathing in it, or just enjoying the sun. A particularly tall tree stood adjacent to the lake, and sitting at the base of the tree, reading a book, was Order. I made my way over to him while taking in my surroundings; it was absolutely perfect and stunningly beautiful. The sky was a clear blue tinge, although strangely enough I saw two suns sparkling in the sky. I turned and noticed that the way I came out here had disappeared. I looked around for any sign of where I had resided, but there was nothing. Just more nature that seemed to spread infinitely. "Beautiful isn't it?"

"Stunning," I replied. "I don't even think Pan could do this." I thought back to the old satyr we found in the labyrinth, before he faded and passed his power unto Grover and our group. "This is the Void?"

"Yes Percy, this is the Void. It was created for the faded gods to reside in, where they can forever be at peace. It's kind of like an Elysium for immortals if you will. Enough gawking Percy, it is time for your training to begin." He closed his book and stood up, but I cut him off before he could continue.

"Order, what happened yesterday? The last thing I remember is a snapping sound and then it goes dark." Order stared at me with a stoic expression, before finally replying.

"I'll show you everything that took place from Khaos' point of view and then I will explain afterward." He reached out and placed his index finger on my forehead, before I passed out.

_His eyes were glowing with a power that rivaled the Olympians, and his body was covered in an almost blinding ethereal green light. The room began to shake - no – tremble as the son of Poseidon slowly stalked towards Gaea. I looked at my daughter and saw nothing, but regret and shame written all over her face. She slumped in her chair, looking as if she was ready to receive whatever she deserved from Percy. I turned my attention back to Percy, and was honestly in awe of the power he was radiating. His aura was terrifying and seemed to grow by the second. Somehow, The young man managed to conjure up a mini-hurricane as he know floated in the air, winds whipped back and forth, throwing food and eating utensils across the room, even the table itself was thrown across the room where it shattered against the wall. The earthquake seemed to grow more powerful as cracks appeared in the marble floor and the walls. The columns looked as if they'd give out any moment and soon the roof was going to come down on all of us. I looked into Percy's eyes and tried to enter his mind so I could get him to calm down, but I was met a terrible revelation. Percy wasn't in there. What was Percy's mind had been reduced to nothing but pure rage. I saw what he was thinking, and how he was wished to 'deal' with Gaea. It was not pretty. I looked to Pontus, worry evident in my eyes and he seemed to understand. Immediately Pontus began to wrestle control of the hurricane from Percy. The winds slowed slightly and Percy's altitude lowered slightly. However, that relief was short-lived when Pontus was suddenly launched across the room by an invisible force. He looked dazed and shaken up, but otherwise he was fine. _

"_I CAN'T TAKE CONTROL! HE'S TOO POWERFUL," yelled Pontus from across the room. Instantly I began to panic, not because Percy was rampaging through the hall, but because of what this meant in the future. If Percy didn't get his emotions reigned in before this war, Erebus and Nyx would easily take advantage and the war would be lost before it even began. I entered Order's mind and told him to put Percy down any way possible outside of injuring him. He grunted in response and immediately took action. His body began to glow, and all around him the brewing storm began to disperse. Percy slowing descended, the glow around his body and eyes fading with the storm. When his feet touched down, His body slumped forward and he would have collapsed to the ground had I not caught him in time. _

I gasped as I was pulled out of the flashback. Immediately my mind went to the dream I had of myself wrecking camp. Now I understood, if I lost control like that again, my nightmare would come true. I looked to Oder worriedly and opened my mouth, but he spoke first.

"Khaos has ordered that during your training, we're all to input emotion and stress training. This way, you can lessen your chances of losing control to a minimum.

"What happened to me? I've never done anything like that before, why now all of a sudden?"

"Actually you have lost control before, but they were minor versions of my curse. Take for example, your little fiasco at Mount St. Helens, that was your curse. Although, you immediately blacked out, so you didn't go on a bloodthirsty rampage thankfully. You see, in order for the universe to stay balanced, I created a curse. This curse prevents the possibility of a 'perfect being' so to speak. Were it not for this curse Percy, you'd quite literally be perfect. As to your second question, I'm not sure why the curse was so much more powerful last night. I think it might have something to do with you being directly in my presence, but even I am not sure. My curse is like a virus, as it spreads it grows and mutates, like it has a mind of its own. It could've recognized its creator, and yearned to break out. Although, like I said, I can't be sure." I nodded in understanding. Basically, I have a curse that changes on its own and makes me want to destroy everything in sight, living or not.

"Just wonderful," came my reply. Order closed his book and stood up, looking me right in the eye.

"Okay Perseus, your training begins now. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Good, I will you be teaching you how to manipulate the mist better than Hecate ever could as well as train you mentally. When I am done with you, no one will be able to read your mind without your permission, you will be able to read anyone else's mind, and use the mist to your advantage. Now Perseus, do you know why I picked this setting for your training?"

I racked my brain for an answer. We were in a beautiful and peaceful meadow, with water nearby. That can't be a coincidence, I thought. Order said he'd be training me mentally sooo, and then it clicked. I opened my mouth, but paused when I felt a nagging sensation in the back of my head. I tried to focus on it, but simply couldn't. I just brushed it off as nothing before I continued only to be interrupted.

"Very good Perseus. Yes, I brought you here so that you may be at peace while you train your brain, which also explains why we are near water. So that its presence can soothe you, but simultaneously keep you alert. Although, what distracted you?" I noticed he had a slightly amused smirk when he asked this.

"I felt a kind of nagging feeling in the back of my head, but I couldn't figure out what it was." His smirk only seemed to grow when I finished, causing me to get slightly frustrated. "What's so funny?"

"That nagging feeling was me poking around in your thoughts." Then it dawned on me just how oblivious I was.

"Jeez I'm stupid," I mumbled. Order gave me a cheeky grin in response.

"Okay Perseus, I'm going to enter your head again, but this time I want you to focus harder when I do so." Once again, I felt a weird sensation in the back of my head. I tried to pin-point it as it moved mentally, until I felt the intruder freeze. I imagined it disappearing, when just like that, it vanished from my focus. Confused, I opened my eyes and looked up at Order questioningly, only to find him smiling widely at me.

"What happened?"

"You changed the lock," he said amusedly. When he saw my blank face, he sighed and elaborated. "You kicked me out of your head Percy."

"Really? That was too easy, it can't be that simple."

"It is, now you just gotta practice reacting faster when someone tries to enter your head. The next step is to enter someone else's mind, you ready?" I nodded my head eagerly; I was so going to abuse this power I thought to myself. "Okay, first you have to make eye contact with your target." I did so. "Next, imagine yourself in a kind of spirit form and then imagine entering their mind through their eyes. When people said the eyes are windows to the soul, they were slightly off. Your eyes are actually windows to your mind, to your thoughts." I tried imagining what it would be like to stare into someone's mind. Kind of like the actors in those cheap Dracula movies I used to watch. I must've stared at Order for like twenty minutes with no avail before I gave in.

"I can't do it. Is there anymore advice you could give me on this?" Order seemed to think for a while, before finally answering me.

"There is not really much else to it. You just have to keep trying, eventually you'll get it. How about we try with something that is closer to your comfort zone?"

"Whatever you think will help," I replied. Order stepped over to the lake and gestured for me to follow him. When I reached him, he spoke in my mind.

"Jump into the lake." He commanded. I hesitated, not sure as to how this would help.

"How will this help me read minds?"

Order turned to me before replying simply; "You can speak to marine animals, correct?"

"Yes, but-."

"Good, now jump in." The tone in his voice didn't leave it up to discussion, so I decided to trust him and hopped in. Instantly, my senses heightened and I felt twice as powerful as before. My vision sharpened and I was able to see everything above and below the water as clear as day. "Now, I want you to strike up a conversation with a fish." I looked up at him like he was crazy, but he only stared back down at me expectantly. I sighed and mentally called out for some fish to come to me.

"Hello milord."

I turned and came face to face with an average sized Porgy. Its scales glistened in the sunlight as it looked at me. "Hello. Beautiful water isn't it?" I felt weird trying to have a normal conversation with a fish, but Order's orders are orders (See what I did there ).

"Okay Perseus, now look the fish in the eyes and try to enter its mind," came Order's voice in my head. I gave him a puzzled glance, but nonetheless attempted to read the Porgy's mind.

"… … …_OMG, a son of Poseidon is in my presence. I could die right now, holy crap. Okay, keep your cool; you don't want to scare him off. Why is he just staring at me like that, it's kind of weird." _I recoiled in shock, I actually did it. Albeit, I did it on a fish, but I did it. I read someone's mind, err something.

"Thank you so much," I said to the fish before propelling myself out of the water and next to Order. "I did it," I yelled, elated by my glorious feat. Although, it didn't last very long…

"Good, now that you understand the concept of mindreading, I want you to try again on me." Almost immediately the excitement left my body, and I pouted at Order.

"Do I have too?"

"Oh stop being a baby. The only way you're going to master this is through practice and repetition." Order waved his finger in his face as he lectured me, it kinda reminded of the Lare, Ventilus from Camp Jupiter. It was quite amusing to be honest. "And just what are you smirking at Jackson, may I remind you that technically your ass is mine for the duration of your training?" Immediately all the color and mirth drained from my face as I nodded stiffly.

"I apologize Order." Seemingly pleased with my apology, he eased up and stared straight into my eyes. I set to work and stared right back, putting all my focus into entering Order's mind. I'll tell ya one thing, reading a fish, compared to a human, primordial deity no less, is very different. Slowly, the world dissolved around me, and all that was left were the mysterious swirling orbs that were Order's eyes staring back at me. Soon, that too faded too, leaving nothing left, but my conscience. Suddenly, I found myself in a blank white box, with a door on one side of it. It was completely empty otherwise and spotless. Seeing no other option, I walked towards the door, and stepped out onto the other side. What I saw amazed me and scared me at the same time. Instead of walls, there were pictures, videos of events that have happened throughout history. It was like a projector was shooting a movie in fast forward, moving through entire sections of history in mere seconds.

"Think of a point in history you wish to see," Order's voice rang out, echoing through the cube shaped room. Okay, I imagined the first time I held Riptide, when Mrs. Dodds attacked me at the Museum of Natural History. Instantly, the images changed to my proposed setting and I saw myself, only in third person. I watched as Chiron rolled in and tossed the pen towards me, where I then proceeded to kill Mrs. Dodds with it.

"What is this?" The images stopped when I spoke, and Order's voice once again rang out.

"This is my mind Percy. This is what it is like to read the mind of an immortal deity, demigod or mortal."

"Wait, so you mean I can just request whatever I want and I'll see it?"

"Precisely," came the reply.

"What about time? I've been in your head for a couple minutes at least, but when other immortals do it, the result is instantaneous. How does that work?" Instead of an answer, I was jolted back to reality, and I noticed nothing had changed. All the animals were exactly as they were before my little mind trick, even the leaf I had noticed floating down earlier was just now finishing its decent to the grass.

"Time does not pass when you enter someone's mind. In the time it takes for me to read every memory you've ever had, you wouldn't even be able to blink once. It is quite useful, especially since you will be able to read anyone's mind when I'm done with you, Olympian, Primordial, Titan, anyone's thoughts and memories will be at your fingertips."

As Order finished his little speech, I couldn't help, but gawk. If he was being serious, then that power alone would be enough to win battles before they even started.

"Heed my warning Percy, too much of anything is never good. There will be things that you shouldn't try to force out of people, and things you won't want to know. Do not abuse this power Percy, for it comes with grave consequences should it be underestimated or overused. The same goes with anything you learn in the next seven years."

At that last part, my eyes bulged out of their sockets. "You want to keep me here for seven years," I exclaimed.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that didn't I," he uttered to himself. "A year in the void is a month on Earth, so in Earth time you will be gone no longer than seven months, nothing to worry about Perseus. I would say you'd be home soon, but for you it won't be soon. I apologize for this inconvenience, but it is in the best interest of you world,"

"It's always me," I sighed.

"Sadly, yes."

"Can we continue tomorrow, I'm rather tired"

"Of course Percy, I'll see you in the morning. Feel free to explore the palace, anything you find belongs to you just as much as it belongs to me. Get a good rest, tomorrow is mist manipulation. That will be much harder."

"See ya later Order." With that, he snapped his fingers and I disappeared from view.

**A/n: Sweet, 6.5k words. Hey guys, just thought I'd mention that no matter how lazy you are, please drop a review. It doesn't have to be long, but just something to tell me that you think I'm doing a good job. Unless you don't think that, in which case, go fuck yourself. Just kidding, anyways trust me when I say a positive review means the world to a writer. I used to be skeptical about it too for a while, then I started this fic, and now I see just how vital those typed up words are. Plus, the more reviews that come in, the sooner I'll want to get off my ass and update more. So far I've updated around every ten days give or take, but that could be a smaller number if you'd like. All it takes is about a minute of your time. So come on, it's a win-win here. There's no downside to it, so yeah. Do that. Anyways, carry on living in that beautiful mechanism you call your body and have a wonderful whatever time of day it is. Peace.**

**~Khaos**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: Hey guys, I've been thinking about some stuff and would like your input. I have an idea running through my head, and really want to put it up. Basically, I want to have two stories up simultaneously which I'd work on back and forth. I want to know if you guys think I shld go for it, or if I shld just wait till I finish this story. Just a heads up, my next fic will be a dark Percy no matter what. If I do two stories at the same time, I have two methods of updating to choose from; *Alternate where one story gets updated one week, then next week I update the other story *I update both stories at the same time, one in the morn', one in the night. It's up to you guys. Anyways, on to the fic! **

Percy POV

Seven years, I still couldn't get past that initial shock. For seven years, I would be away from my normal life, away from my mom, my friends, and most of all the love of my life. It hurt me, but when I thought about what would happen if I didn't do this (The end of the world), I sobered up a little.

"At least it's for a good cause," I mumbled to myself.

"That's the same reason I'm here." Immediately I jumped off my bed and spun around as I pulled Riptide from my pocket, placing the business end of the blade at the throat of my intruder. Green eyes locked with mud brown, before the latter downcast her gaze. The former however, pushed his blade further into his intruder's neck, causing a trickle of golden ichor to drop onto the blade.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room you psychotic bitch?" The amount of venom in Percy's voice was palpable.

"Perseus, I-"

"You have ten seconds to tell me why you're here before I send you out, it'll only take a swift flick of my wrist, although that is much less than you deserve."

"I came to…" Her voice faltered and tears welled up in her eyes, but Percy was having none of it.

"I came to apologize for my actions in the Giant war. I wanted you to know before your training with me, that I have realized my folly and wish to ask for your understanding. I have faced the consequences for my actions from Lady Khaos herself and I have changed. I will not ask for your forgiveness for I do not deserve it, but I want you to be aware that I regret my choices from the past. I have thought everything through and have decided that at the conclusion of your training, should you wish it, I will allow you take my life. I will fade, thus making you inherit my powers. My power alone, aside from training, would put you on a level playing field with the Olympians minus the Big Three."

"Why should I believe you? You're known for your mind games, how do I know this isn't another one of your tricks?"

"Oder just finished teaching you to read other's minds, correct? Search my mind, the answers to your questions lie within my head. You only need to unlock them." I stared intently at her, searching for any deceit in what was said. Finding none, I sighed and capped Riptide, stepping back a few feet.

"You are lucky I am such a forgiving man. I will give you benefit of the doubt for now… But should you even think of trying something to hurt me or my friends and family again, primordial goddess or not I will kill you. This, I swear on my honor as a roman and on my life." Gaea perked slightly and peered into those piercing green eyes, a little hope sparking into her heart. Maybe, just maybe, Gaea could build some sort of relationship with the boy. Correction, _man_.

"Thank you Perseus, I promise not to let you down." Gaea shot me one last hopeful look before exiting from my room. I blew out a breath I didn't know I was holding, then proceeded to flop back onto my bed. No sooner than I sat down however, a low growling noise pierced through the silence. My first thought was what kind of monster could possibly reside in this palace? Slowly, I tilted my head up and scanned my room, nothing.

"That's odd." I lay my head back down on my pillow, closing my eyes and hoping for a peaceful nap. Sadly, my hopes were crushed. Another growl, louder than the last reached my ears. Immediately, I jumped out of my bed and flipped towards the door, somehow whipping Riptide out in mid-air. Although, the room was still empty. I opened the door and peered through, expecting to see a hellhound or something glaring at me, but found emptiness once again. Quickly losing my patience, I growled out;

"Who's there? Show your face."

"Now where would be the fun in that," a voice directly behind me asked. Instantly, I whirled around faster than the eye could see, swinging Riptide as I went. There was a girlish yelp, followed by a loud _clang. _A sword seemed to appear out of nowhere, blocking my blade that was nearly centimeters away from decapitating Tartarus in one fluid motion. I followed the blade to its owner, and came face to face with Aether, who was grinning like a madman.

"Hey Percy, as much I like to see Tartarus get his ass handed to him, please try to refrain from killing him. At least until your training is over, deal?" I just stared at him wide-eyed, wondering where he came from.

"Uhh, may I ask what in tartarus you guys are doing in my room? And what was that growling noise I heard earlier?" Tartarus looked kinda sheepish as he replied.

"Well the growling was me playing a prank on you, which went terribly wrong…"

"I'd say…" Aether interrupted with a snort before he replied as well.

"I was on my way to tell you that dinner was going to be served in a few minutes, and came just in time to stop you from decapitating my cousin over here."

"Oh, okay then. Uh, sorry about almost killing you Tartarus,' I muttered.

"It's quite alright Perseus, you were simply acting on instinct. I would've done the same thing in your position, albeit with less killing intent …"

"Pfft, please Tartarus, you couldn't even hurt a fly."

"Would you care to test that theory Aether, you have become much of a pest lately." Tartarus had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he glared at Aether. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, I interrupted him.

"Well you guys duke this out, I'm gonna head over to the Dining room. Which way would that be?"

"Down the hall, to the left," Aether replied, his gaze never moving from Tartarus'.

"Well, you guys have fun," I replied as I dashed from my room, not wanting to get between their little sibling rivalry. I sprinted down the hall, only coming to a halt when I stood outside the door that led to the dining room. Taking a second to catch my breath, I looked around the palace and I must say it was very impressive.

The halls were huge, big enough for Hannibal the elephant and Mrs. O'Leary to have a wrestling match without damaging anything. The walls were very beautifully designed, with gold and bronze intertwining with each other. The columns were made of pure emerald, contrasting beautifully with the gold and bronze. There were jewels inlaid sporadically along the walls, each one giving its own ethereal glow. The doors that lead to the dining room looked to be inspired by Chinese cultures. It depicted a wonderfully crafted dragon made of celestial bronze and imperial gold. The dragon appeared to be flying over a small yet elegant town made out of oil paints ingrained with more celestial bronze.

The Dragon itself swirled mesmerizingly along both doors, looking as if it truly was soaring through the sky. Where its nostrils were, two door knockers sprouted out, appearing as if they were nose rings. Along the dragons back were a plethora of bright hues such as orange, green, red and yellows that mingled perfectly with each other.

Although, the most magnificent part of the dragon were its eyes. In place of the eyes were two beautiful gems the size of my fists. One gem was a luscious sparkling ruby that seemed to reflect any and all light. The other gem however was a completely different story. This gem resembled that of a topaz, although it was pitch black. The mysterious gem appeared to suck in any light, casting a dark glow that emanated an ancient aura. It was creepy and entrancing at the same time. I stared into the seemingly swirling and majestic eyes of that dragon for gods knows how long before someone clearing their throat behind me pulled me out of my enchantment. I blinked a few times before turning and coming face to face with Khaos.

"I see you are quite taken with that image, no?"

"Yeah, it's absolutely stunning. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of gem was used for the dragon's right eye?"

"Ahh that is a very rare and powerful gem you speak of. Its name is Onyx Cabochon to mortals, otherwise known as just Onyx to us immortals. This gem is so rare, that only the eldest Primordials know of its existence. Its qualities are very special, should you wish to know about them."

"Wait, how can it be that rare if mortals have used and named it?"

"Very good question Percy, You see, Onyx is a living organism in a way. The Onyx was created by myself and Order, and its power was only to be revealed to those who are chosen by it. The Onyx can only be wielded successfully by those it finds worthy to wield it; it even rejects its creators." I noticed that a little sadness shone in her eyes very briefly before she turned her attention back to the depiction on the wall.

"Khaos, can you please tell me everything you know about this material? I am definitely interested. Please?" At this, I gave Khaos my own version of the puppy dog eyes. She seemed conflicted until she saw my eyes, then she relented.

"Fine, I will tell you all about Onyx, after dinner." I immediately jumped at Khaos and gave her a spine crushing hug.

"Thank you so much Khaos." Yeah, I was acting kinda childish, but I don't care. My parents are dead, my friends are in a different dimension and another war was coming. I think a little blissful ignorance wouldn't hurt anyone.

Dinner went by fairly quickly; we were served by invisible waiters, similar to Calypso's island. I ate a plate full of spaghetti and meatballs, while most of the others had steak and rice. Nothing special, the simplicity was nice, making me feel like a normal mortal for once. I noticed Aether had a constant sneer plastered on his face while Tartarus had a triumphant grin, Obviously Tartarus won out from earlier. Gaea would occasionally shoot a glance in my direction, which I would return stoically. When everyone finally finished eating and most went off to bed, I rushed up to Khaos and stared at her expectantly. She sighed and gestured for me to follow her, which I willingly did.

Eventually, we came to a gargantuan library that would probably exist in the dreams of Athena's children. It expanded vastly for what seemed like miles, nothing in sight except for bookshelves twice the size of an Olympian's true height.

'Okay Percy, what do you wish to know about Onyx?"

"Everything, start from the beginning."

"Okay then. As I said, Onyx is a material created by both Order and I. It is a living organism that can only be wielded by those that it deems worthy. Onyx has only ever revealed its true form once, which is for the decorations on the door you saw earlier. Onyx can be forged into just about anything in moderation, although it is most effective as a weapon. Its properties you see, are what makes it so powerful. Since Onyx is a living organism, it has its own conscience and aura, similar to a god, although it has no incarnate form. If Onyx were to be crafted into a weapon, that weapon would be more powerful than all the Olympians symbols of power combined and then some."

At that, my jaw dropped so low that it was comical. I must've looked really stupid at the moment because Khaos had to stifle a laugh before continuing.

"Since Onyx has its own godly aura so to say, its master would be able to draw power from their weapon. As long as you are in contact with your blade, your stamina will be twice as great, you will be faster, smarter and stronger. Your elemental powers will be enhanced as well, almost as if you are a god. Onyx is one hundred percent unbreakable and is capable of killing _anything._ If Onyx were to find a suitable master, the weapon and master would bond mentally. Onyx would be able to communicate with you telepathically; your weapon would basically become your conscience. Whether in use or not, Onyx will always be in your mind."

"Khaos, you speak about Onyx as if it were an actual deity of some sort. Is there something that you're not telling me?" As soon as I said that, Khaos' expression became very melancholy. I had the feeling there was a lot more to the story that she wasn't telling me.

"Yes Percy, there is much more to the story than you could possibly imagine. Although, I don't believe that I am mentally ready to discuss the history of Onyx. If you wish to find out, Order may be willing to enlighten you, but I'm not completely sure. Just know this Perseus, Onyx isn't just some material or weapon, Onyx is a part of me that I always loved, always cherished and never wished to lose. Sadly, not all wishes come true…"

And with that, Khaos began to walk away, probably to her quarters for the night, leaving Percy alone in the library, confused and curious. However, Percy put the thought out of his mind; it was a tale for another time.  
Ω  
Percy's training with Order continued to be a mild success. While Percy was learning to bend the mist to his will, there were minor setbacks. On multiple occasions, Percy would lose his focus and release his control over the mist, resulting in completely spontaneous effects. The worst was probably when Percy somehow managed to convince Order that he was a sixteen year-old schoolgirl that was supposed to go to out on a date with Ouranous. It was hilarious to watch Order try to hit on Ouranous the way a hormonal teenage girl would, even though it ended with Percy taking a rather large bolt in the ass courtesy of Ouranous. When Order finally snapped out of his trance, he definitely had some words for young Perseus.

Although, after a few more weeks Percy had finished his training on the mist. With Percy's manipulation powers on par with an Olympian's, he moved on to stress training.

"Okay Perseus, we're moving on to stress training. Your stress training will differ slightly with each of us you train under, but with me you will be focusing on mental stress."

"Okay, so what are we gonna be doing. Some sort of meditation?"

"Actually no, just sit down and breathe slowly, in through your nose, out through your mouth." Frowning slightly, I followed his orders. Sitting down with my legs crossed, I slowly inhaled and exhaled, feeling completely at ease.

"Close your eyes Perseus just relax and focus only your breathing." I did as I was told, shutting out the world around me and I soon found myself to be falling into the realm of Morpheus. I opened my eyes again, and looked around in shock at what I saw. I was back in my mother's apartment in Manhattan. I looked around and everything seemed the same, sky blue walls, furniture against the wall facing towards a small television set. A mouth watering aroma drifted into the room and I immediately identified the sweet smell. Someone was baking chocolate chip cookies. With a large grin on my face, I made my way over to the kitchen. Rounding the corner, I saw none other than my mother bent over the oven and pulling out a fresh batch of cookies. Confused and shocked, I slowly moved closer to my mom.

"Mom, is that you?" My voice echoed throughout the eerily silent house. My mother stiffened and slowly stood up, still facing her back towards me.

"M-mom," my voice cracked out as I choked back a sob. "Is that really you?"

My mother slowly turned a full one eighty, staring directly at me. She looked the same as when I saw her last, a light blue blouse with a plain white skirt adorned by a simplistic pair of earrings shaped like pearls. I looked up to her face and almost stumbled back in surprise. She smiled widely at me, although it didn't seem to be a smile that a mother would give to her child. No, no, no. This smile was cruel, like how a hunter smiles down at its prey before it delivers the final blow. My gaze shifted upwards more until I was looking into her eyes, and what I saw made me want to puke. Instead of the hazel brown irises I was used to, I stared into a seemingly endless pit of malice and hatred. Her eyes were completely black, with no white showing in her eyes at all. She stared down at me in glee, like she was finally going to get the revenge she wanted.

"M-mom, what h-happened to you?"

"What are you talking about Perseus, I feel perfectly fine," she replied in a sickly sweet voice. "In fact, I feel better than ever. My mistress was very generous; she brought me back to life and gave me some new powers. Isn't that great Percy?"

"Your mistress, mom what are you talking about, you're scaring me."

"Yes Percy, Lady Nyx has raised me from the underworld with a task to handle and some new abilities to play with." As she said this, Sally raised her hand, a ball of shadows forming in her palms. Then she pushed her hand out towards my chest and instantly I was knocked back into the living room, plowing through the couch and getting imbedded in the wall.

I clawed out of the wall and shakily stood up, fear evident in my eyes. "Mom, what are you doing, this isn't you!"

"That is where you are wrong Percy; this is me, new and improved." Sally summoned another ball of shadows, prepared to hurl it at her son.

Tears sprung into my eyes as I stared up helplessly at my mother, her gaze showing nothing, but hate and malicious intent. "Mom, please don't do this. What happened to you, to the woman that said I would always be her baby? The woman that comforted me in my times of need and hopelessness?"

Sally looked at me for a second before bursting into laughter. "That woman is long gone, replaced by someone more powerful and capable of doing her duty. And that woman's duty is to her Lady Nyx."

I felt my heart break into a million pieces at that, leaving an empty feeling inside of me. I felt a gap form in my chest, a gap that would never be filled. I stared up at what used to be mother, tears streaming freely from my eyes as she prepared to fling another ball of shadows at me. I felt like the rug had been ripped out from under me, and now I was falling endlessly into an abyss that I couldn't climb out of. Slowly, my sanity seemed to leak from my body, until I was almost at the breaking point.

"_Be strong Perseus, do not lose yourself in your emotions. Find the strength from inside of you, find the strength from your hearth_." Those words seemed to echo in my head for eternity, before realization finally set in. All was not lost. I still have family, friends, people who care for me. A father who loved me dearly, cousins who'd give their lives for me and vice versa. A little hope flickered in my heart, like a tiny flame sparking back to life. I thought about all my friends at camp Half-Blood and camp Jupiter, my mentors Chiron and Lupa. Then that little flicker became a burning sensation, although not the burning you would imagine. Hope had been revived in my heart, and it spread though my body. I stood up slowly, relishing the feeling of the warm sensation flowing through me. Gazing directly into those pitch black orbs defiantly, I found courage I never thought I possessed.

"You are not my mother. My mother loves me endlessly and would never hurt me. You are a disgrace to the name Sally Jackson." At those words, what I thought was my mother froze on the spot, staring into my eyes like I were some horrific monster before she proceeded to crumble into golden dust. I blinked in shocked and when I reopened my eyes, I saw Order looking down at me with a soft apologetic smile.

"Congratulations Percy, you have completed your training with me."

**Piper POV**

"You'd think that by now they would actually get remotely close to attempting to take our flag." I was sitting cross-legged in front of my flag, waiting for something interesting to happen. Nico was hidden in the shadows a few feet off to my right, probably lazing around out of sight like me.

The game had started fifteen minutes ago and we had yet to see a single soul. Even our teammates were off into enemy territory, experiencing some kind of action. I sighed in boredom, leaning my back against my flag. I was about to ask Nico to scout around a little bit, when I heard a loud _clang_ directly to my left. Immediately I hopped up, drew Katoptris from its sheath and turned to my left. I was shocked to see Nico standing there, inspecting a blunt-tipped silver arrow that wasn't there before. With a start, I realized that he stopped that arrow from connecting with my skull.

"Thanks Nico," I muttered, not daring to tear my gaze from the eerily silent tree line. He nodded his reply, before snapping the arrow in half and putting his back to mine.

"Cover me for a few seconds, I'm gonna extend my senses to try and locate them," he whispered in my ear. I nodded my consent, stepping defensively in front of him. As soon as Nico closed his eyes, the forest erupted into loud series whooping and war cries. Children of Nike and Nemesis came rushing out of the forest, backed by volleys of silver arrows. Although, they didn't get far when they got ensnared in the traps set by Demeter's kids. Nico raised a wall of shadows, rendering the arrows useless, then proceeded to have the wall implode, causing said arrows to fly back sporadically towards their origins. Most of the Campers caught in the vines were immediately knocked unconscious and I noticed a few figures falling out of the trees they were perched on.

"Nice one Neeks." He smiled cheekily before vanishing into a shadow and reappearing a few yards past the tree line, where he was engaged by three hunters at once.

"Hey Beauty Queen." I turned and faced my first challenge of the day, Leo Valdez. He slowly approached me, twin war hammers in hand.

"Repair boy, ready to get your ass kicked?" He simply grinned and charged, swinging his hammers in an overhead strike. I nimbly rolled backwards, knowing I didn't possess the strength to block any of his attacks. He stepped forward, swinging his left hammer at my abdomen, then shot a ball of fire at my face, causing me to drop to my stomach and roll away. Leo quickly darted forward and smashed his hammer into my stomach as I came out of my roll, knocking the wind out of me. I kneeled on the ground, trying to suck some air back into my lungs when Leo kicked me in the side. It wasn't strong enough to break bones, but gods it still hurt. He placed his foot on my chest and took a triumphant pose. Capitalizing on his antics, I pushed myself straight off the ground and knocked him onto his back, nicking his leg as he fell. I took a step back to catch my breath, allowing him to stand up.

"You never know when to be serious repair boy, you could've won this fight by now."

"Oh, but Piper, serious isn't in my list of vocabulary" He grinned before embarking on his continued onslaught, swinging his hammers back and forth with reckless abandon, thus keeping me on the defensive. Every once in a while, I would land a small counter attack, drawing little cuts on his arms and legs. The constant rolling and dodging began to tire me out, but I noticed he was tiring as well and his swings were becoming sluggish. Taking this to my advantage, I stepped inside his next attack, bashing Katoptris against his wrist and effectively disarming him of one hammer.

Immediately, I kicked his legs out from under him and pounced on his stomach, holding Katoptris in an ice pick grip at his throat.

"Do you yield?" I noticed that Leo was grinning like a madman, frustrating the hell out of me. "What's so funny," I growled.

"Oh I yield, but I don't know about them." He nodded his head behind me, and I froze. Slowly, I twisted around and came face to face with five different very sharp weapons pointed at me.

"_Di immortales,"_ I cursed under my breath. I completely forgot about the other campers that had broken through the line of traps we had set up. I noticed Nico was unconscious and hog tied where our flag used to be, but now it was in the hands of one the Nike kids, a new camper named Matthew.

I leaned down closer to Leo's ear, "remember that you're eliminated. No interference," I whispered so only he could hear me. I turned back towards the group of heavily campers and sucked in a deep breath, mustering as much charmspeak as I could.

"Hey, c'mon now guys, this is no way to treat a lady. Put those weapons down so we can have a civil conversation will ya?" The effect was instantaneous, all the campers stiffened before dropping their weapons. "Good job, now how about you put that flag back where you found it Matthew, then we could have some fun." Leo could only watch silently in horror as Piper controlled his team like they were puppets.

Matthew hesitated before shrugging and placing the flag right back where it was. Piper climbed off of Leo, collected all the dropped weapons and promptly hid them in the bushes. She turned back towards her little makeshift army smiling deviously.

"First, someone untie my friend Nico please?" Immediately several people rushed over to Nico, fighting over who would untie him. "Good, now I want all of you to run around the forest and attack anyone wearing a red plume, is that understood?" They all nodded dumbly before running off into the forest, searching for anyone unlucky enough to be on the red team in the vicinity. Piper turned back towards Leo with a wide smile before he disappeared along with Nico, the gods teleporting them to the spectator stands. Piper slowly returned to her spot by the flag and promptly dropped down, waiting for the next group of demigods to confront her.

**Frank POV**

Frank, Clarisse, Lee and some Apollo girl named Felicia were all creeping towards the red flag, staying just within the tree line. Everyone had their weapons drawn and were creating a plan of attack.

"Okay guys, there are two campers guarding the flag, with five archers positioned to the east, west and south of the flag. Frank, I want you to change into something big like a bear, and charge the group to the north. Most likely the other two groups will turn their focus for you, giving Lee and Felicia long enough to pick off the two guards from here. I'll run in with Lee right behind me, snatch the flag and we run. At that point, we're gonna need some cover fire from Felicia and Frank. Does everything sound alright to you guys?"

We all gave our consent, as I strapped my bow on to my back next to my spear and then changed into a bear. I counted to three and then charged out into the open, letting a feral growl escape from my throat. Immediately, I felt a barrage of blunt arrows connect with my back, but I pushed through the pain and charged straight into a tree, causing it to tip over and send the archers that were perched there scrambling. I saw the two guards by the flag slump to the ground unconscious before Clarisse sped out of the bushes. Everything was going great, until one the other groups saw what was happening and proceeded to open fire on Clarisse. I could've sworn that she was a goner, but Lee at the last second stepped in the way and put his shield up just in time to block the oncoming arrows. The force of the arrows made him stumble before he regained his bearings and swung out his bow, dropping his shield and opening fire on the enemy campers in the trees.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, I changed form into a squirrel and sprung towards the trees, racing up the trunk and stopping beside most of the campers. I changed back to human form and swung my spear around like a baseball bat, knocking the archers out of the trees and into the ground where they lay unconscious.

"Hurry up and take the flag back to base before more reinforcements come; I'll hold them off with Felicia." I saw Clarisse and Lee nod their heads before disappearing into the woods.

I was about to climb out of the tree when I heard a _whizzing _noise_, _followed by a pain erupting my chest. I gasped in surprise, losing my balance and tumbling towards the ground. I landed on my back with a loud _thud_, getting the wind knocked out of me. I lay there for a minute, gasping like a fish out of water before a figure appeared above me. I saw the red plume and knew I was screwed when he smiled down cruelly at me. He raised the pommel of his sword, prepared to knock me out before he stiffened and slumped down to the ground. Standing behind where my attacker was, a camper on the silver team stood with a rather large tree branch in hand. The camper stared down at me, or my helmet really, shook her head and then stomped off in the direction she came from. I just sat there on the ground for a minute, dumbfounded by what had just happened before regaining my bearings and climbing back to my feet. I turned to see Felicia standing there, just as star struck as I was. I shrugged at her then proceeded to scan the immediate area for any potential threats. Finding none, I looked back at Felicia and gestured for her to follow me. She nodded, hefted her bow and together we stepped back into the forest.

**To Be Continued**

**Umm… Err, hey guys. Hehe, funny story actually… You see what happened was, I had some trouble with the CTF, so that kinda turned me off from finishing this for a week or two. Then I came back, edited and added some parts, tried to finish it, but just couldn't. So I kinda just decided that I would continue it for next chapter. Yeah, that sounds really weak, but it's the truth. I apologize sincerely for the unnecessary pause and umm, yeah. On that note, we got a few more reviews last chap! That's great guys! I would say let's get even more reviews this chappie, but this chappie isn't very much worth it… So next chapter, let's get even more reviews, yeah? Also, tell me what you want me to do with the A/n at the beginning. It's really important so read it if you didn't and let me know. FYI, I read every single review and P.M. so if you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to contact me. **

**~Khaos**


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